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Superintendent Ed Miller, Gadsden Police Chief John Crane, Chief Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid and others spoke to the students in Gadsden City’s auditorium and emphasized one message: We want to help you succeed in your future, but after today, your choices become serious.

The students were not alone. At least one parent or family member accompanied each to the assembly. The program was called FOCUSED, which stands for Following Our Commitment Until Students Earn Diplomas.

Students who were at the meeting met one of two criteria, or both. They either had seven unexcused absences or multiple Class II offenses (including fighting, possession of tobacco, stealing, cheating or defiance of school employees — or Class III offenses (possessing drugs or guns, robbery or other serious offenses).

Miller emphasized to those in attendance that everyone in the school district wants to see every student do well and graduate high school, but he needs help from the parents.

“I promise you, we want kids to succeed,” he said. “It’s a partnership. We have to have that partnership.”

Miller pointed to three things that cause students to drop out or fail to succeed in school: grades, behavior and attendance. He said students without an education are less likely to be successful in life, and asked parents to partner with the school district so they can achieve the common goal of brighter futures for their children.

“We’re trying to give you that early warning,” Miller said. “There are things you can do as parents, and you have to do it today, in order for your child to be successful.”

Crane said he could not focus on the students’ grades, but had the authority to focus on their attendance and behavior. He said there is only one safe place for them during the day, and that is at school. He said he is working with the City Council to enact a curfew so that if any of his officers see students ditching school, they will be picked up.

He issued another warning to the parents of the troubled students: Rein in your children, or face charges for failing to do so. He said whether it’s not attending school or, especially, disrupting classes, parents will held responsible for their children’s behavior.

“Folks, we’re not going to tolerate (disruption),” Crane said. “You’ve got too many people who want to be here to get an education.”

Reid said his office will be focusing on juvenile cases in the future, because many cases he sees in Circuit Court have defendants who came through juvenile court years earlier, usually for much smaller offenses.

He said he began his career as a juvenile probation officer, and many of the children he saw were doing the same things as the students at Friday’s assembly. In those days, Reid saw a child as young as 11 go to prison, and he told students Friday that they are wrong if they think they are too young to face consequences for their actions.

Reid warned that many of those present would think he didn’t know what he was talking about because when he was their age, he was just as smart and wrong as they are now. He said the “thug life” mentality so many young people are enamored with is nothing but a sham, and that facade fades once someone is facing a loss of freedom for a long time.

“You get them behind bars and inside those four walls, they cry like babies,” Reid said. “And believe me, as tough as you think you are, when you get locked behind those doors and you’re looking at prison, you have a whole different view.”

Beyond warnings, Reid, Crane and School Resource Officer Sylvia Flick gave parents advice on how to keep better tabs on their children, starting with a device that is attached to nearly to everyone these days — the cellphone.

Crane and Reid stressed the importance of reading text messages so parents would have a better idea of how their children were when they weren’t around. Flick said in her household, in order for her children to have Facebook accounts, she has to have the password.

Following the harsh warnings, help was offered in the form of counseling for both substance abuse and behavior, and mentorships to circumvent the age-old teenage difficulty of speaking with parents.

Director of Student Services Larry Weathers said from this day forward, the students’ futures lie with them and their parents.

“I can’t make you do any of this,” Weathers said. “We’re asking you to help these children because after this, the story changes.”

<p>Troubled students from Gadsden City High School and the district's three middle schools learned their actions can have far-reaching consequences, both for their futures and for their families.</p><p>Superintendent Ed Miller, Gadsden Police Chief John Crane, Chief Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid and others spoke to the students in Gadsden City's auditorium and emphasized one message: We want to help you succeed in your future, but after today, your choices become serious.</p><p>The students were not alone. At least one parent or family member accompanied each to the assembly. The program was called FOCUSED, which stands for Following Our Commitment Until Students Earn Diplomas.</p><p>Students who were at the meeting met one of two criteria, or both. They either had seven unexcused absences or multiple Class II offenses (including fighting, possession of tobacco, stealing, cheating or defiance of school employees — or Class III offenses (possessing drugs or guns, robbery or other serious offenses).</p><p>Class II and III offenses carry suspensions as punishment, with possible expulsion or reassignment to alternative school.</p><p>Miller emphasized to those in attendance that everyone in the school district wants to see every student do well and graduate high school, but he needs help from the parents.</p><p>“I promise you, we want kids to succeed,” he said. “It's a partnership. We have to have that partnership.”</p><p>Miller pointed to three things that cause students to drop out or fail to succeed in school: grades, behavior and attendance. He said students without an education are less likely to be successful in life, and asked parents to partner with the school district so they can achieve the common goal of brighter futures for their children.</p><p>“We're trying to give you that early warning,” Miller said. “There are things you can do as parents, and you have to do it today, in order for your child to be successful.”</p><p>Crane said he could not focus on the students' grades, but had the authority to focus on their attendance and behavior. He said there is only one safe place for them during the day, and that is at school. He said he is working with the City Council to enact a curfew so that if any of his officers see students ditching school, they will be picked up.</p><p>He issued another warning to the parents of the troubled students: Rein in your children, or face charges for failing to do so. He said whether it's not attending school or, especially, disrupting classes, parents will held responsible for their children's behavior.</p><p>“Folks, we're not going to tolerate (disruption),” Crane said. “You've got too many people who want to be here to get an education.”</p><p>Reid said his office will be focusing on juvenile cases in the future, because many cases he sees in Circuit Court have defendants who came through juvenile court years earlier, usually for much smaller offenses.</p><p>He said he began his career as a juvenile probation officer, and many of the children he saw were doing the same things as the students at Friday's assembly. In those days, Reid saw a child as young as 11 go to prison, and he told students Friday that they are wrong if they think they are too young to face consequences for their actions.</p><p>Reid warned that many of those present would think he didn't know what he was talking about because when he was their age, he was just as smart and wrong as they are now. He said the “thug life” mentality so many young people are enamored with is nothing but a sham, and that facade fades once someone is facing a loss of freedom for a long time.</p><p>“You get them behind bars and inside those four walls, they cry like babies,” Reid said. “And believe me, as tough as you think you are, when you get locked behind those doors and you're looking at prison, you have a whole different view.”</p><p>Beyond warnings, Reid, Crane and School Resource Officer Sylvia Flick gave parents advice on how to keep better tabs on their children, starting with a device that is attached to nearly to everyone these days — the cellphone.</p><p>Crane and Reid stressed the importance of reading text messages so parents would have a better idea of how their children were when they weren't around. Flick said in her household, in order for her children to have Facebook accounts, she has to have the password.</p><p>Following the harsh warnings, help was offered in the form of counseling for both substance abuse and behavior, and mentorships to circumvent the age-old teenage difficulty of speaking with parents.</p><p>Director of Student Services Larry Weathers said from this day forward, the students' futures lie with them and their parents.</p><p>“I can't make you do any of this,” Weathers said. “We're asking you to help these children because after this, the story changes.”</p>